What if instead of TikTok, Instagram & co. Millions of people would use habit-forming products that boost nature?
Today we look at what makes social media companies so successful and what our biodiversity movement can learn from them.
Chances are high that you registered to at least one social media if you read this newsletter. So you experienced the power of it and how easy it is to get addictive.
But this power could also be used to create a wilder planet, which is why today we go through the Hooked Model created by Nir Eyal.
The Hooked Model by Nir Eyal
Nir is one of the leading voices when it comes to habit-forming products.
He decoded the tactics the most successful companies like Facebook, Google & co. are using and put this power into our hands.
He wrote a book about it (Hooked – How to build habit-forming products). So, this is just the essence.
Whether you are running a nature business or NGO, succeeding in this is crucial. We will use the word “user” here, because the model originated in the tech world. But the same strategy works for “customers” of everyday products or “donators”.
With great power comes great responsibility. Uncle Ben from Spiderman used to say. If you read this newsletter, I am convinced you will use it wisely to protect and restore nature.
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The four steps of creating habit-forming products according to the Hooked Model
1. Trigger
Triggers are the initial prompts that create user engagement with your biodiversity product or service.
You can categorize them into 2 types:
External triggers:
These are environmental cues or stimuli that prompt users to act.
Examples include push notifications, email reminders, social media posts, or advertisements.
Internal triggers:
These triggers arise from the user’s inner thoughts, emotions, or needs. Internal motivations drive them, which can be much more powerful in forming long-term habits.
An internal trigger could be a feeling of boredom, a desire for social connection, or a need to save the world (you probably had that one before 😉 ).
2. Action
The action step involves your user taking a specific action in response to the trigger. The key here is to make the action as simple, convenient, and frictionless as possible.
Let’s face it. The world is overwhelming us with information and choices we need to make. So the easier it is for your users to take action, the more likely they are to engage and repeat the behavior.
This phase focuses on reducing barriers and making the desired action effortless. Examples include clicking a button, filling out a form, or performing a specific behavior within your product.
3. Variable Reward
The variable reward step is designed to provide your users with rewards or outcomes that are variable and unpredictable.
This step taps into your user’s underlying motivation and creates a sense of anticipation, making the experience more engaging and habit-forming.
Variable rewards are often more effective than fixed rewards because they generate curiosity and keep users coming back for more (if you open your Linkedin app, you will never see the same feed).
These rewards can come in various forms:
- social recognition;
- virtual badges;
- personalized recommendations;
- exclusive content;
- discounts;
- or surprises.
Creating an element of surprise and unpredictability will keep your users hooked and motivated to continue using your product or service.
4. Investment
The investment step aims to deepen user engagement and commitment over time. It encourages users to invest their time, effort, data, or money into your product or service.
The more your users invest in a product or service, the more likely they will continue using it and building a habit around it.
Examples of investments include creating a user profile, customizing preferences, building a network or community, accumulating points or achievements, or sharing content with others.
Investments increase your user’s sense of ownership and make it harder for them to abandon your product or switch to a competitor.
Ok, that’s all great, but now let’s take a concrete example of fictional biodiversity measurement SaaS (Software as a Service).
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The Hooked Model for a nature business
Introducing our fictional nature company, “Wild Numbers” a B2B (Business-to-Business) SaaS company.
1. Trigger
Wild Numbers should create triggers tailored for businesses dependent on nature to make their product or services.
Wild Numbers would write targeted email newsletters or industry-specific publications highlighting the importance of biodiversity monitoring and the benefits of utilizing Wild Numbers for accurate data collection.
Webinars or conferences focused on biodiversity conservation could additionally serve as triggers, providing valuable insights and showcasing the effectiveness of Wild Numbers in supporting their business goals.
2. Action
In B2B, the action step would involve companies integrating Wild Numbers into their existing operations to measure and monitor biodiversity.
Wild Numbers could offer an easy-to-use connection that enables seamless integration with the systems or workflows of the company.
This would allow companies to input and track their biodiversity data, such as species observations, habitat assessments, or ecological surveys, in a standardized and efficient manner.
3. Variable Reward
Now it is essential that companies keep using Wild Numbers. To ensure this, enterprises might receive data analytics reports from Wild Numbers that provide valuable insights on biodiversity trends, ecological indicators, or potential threats to specific habitats.
These reports can help organizations make informed decisions, identify opportunities for conservation actions, or demonstrate their environmental stewardship to stakeholders and investors.
4. Investment
Here Wild Numbers need to become the long-term service to solve the biodiversity monitoring issue for the company.
Wild Numbers could offer subscription plans or licensing agreements tailored to the specific needs and scale of the organization.
This investment gives businesses access to even more advanced features, like data integration with their existing systems, custom reporting, and dedicated customer support.
Additionally, Wild Numbers would provide ongoing training and support to ensure a smooth integration process and maximize the value businesses derive from the nature software.
Now it is your turn to get people hooked on nature! 🙌
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Your turn: time to make your nature product habit forming
5 actions to take next week to create a habit-forming product that boosts nature
- Block yourself an hour to reflect on your current biodiversity product or service
- Take your product or service through the 4 steps of the Hooked Model.
- By doing this, you hopefully encountered an area where you can still improve. Focus on this area first.
- Create at least 3 actions to boost this area and give yourself a timeline.
- If you struggle with the adaptation of this model, feel free to book a free 30-minute session with me to get more people hooked on nature.
Cheat sheet to learn how to create habit-forming products for your biodiversity company
In a nutshell: Strategies that made social media companies gigantic can help us to get more people excited about nature.
Best book: Hooked – How to build habit-forming products by Nir Eyal
Best tools: Nir provides free intro webinars to teach about the Hook Model
Best practices: Download all Social Media apps and see how they lure you in and make you addicted. Use this power as a force or good.
Set up time: 5 days. This will take you some time and brain juice, but it will pay off massively.
Maintaining time: 2 hours per week. Your 4 steps need constant improvement, and there is always something to tackle.
Instead of getting people hooked on social media and making zombies out of them, let’s get people hooked on nature again. This model provides you with the power to take us toward this future.
Use it wisely.
See you next week. Have a wild one!
Oliver
🦧 Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways we can help you:
- 1-to-1 business consulting. Detailed and personalized consulting to double the impact of your biodiversity venture in the shortest possible time. Do you struggle with creating powerful products? Let me help you.
- Wild Business Mates in Action. Wild Business Mates help you execute in areas you are struggling with. Tech, Marketing, Sales, Communication, etc.
